Chapter 127 The power within

Chapter 127 The power within


The first soldier had barely hit the floor when the others raised their weapons and charged forward. Viktor stood in the middle of the room without moving, his red eyes following every one of them as they came toward him. He could hear their footsteps, their breathing, and even the rapid beating of their hearts, and somehow, none of it frightened him anymore.

Three soldiers reached him at the same time, but Viktor moved before any of them could land a blow. He caught the wrist of the first man and twisted it hard enough to make him cry out, then shoved him aside before turning toward the second. The soldier swung his blade at Viktor's chest, but Viktor ducked beneath it, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him against the wall with enough force to knock the weapon from his hand.

The third soldier stopped when he saw what had happened. He looked from the unconscious men to Viktor, then slowly tightened his grip around his weapon as if trying to convince himself to attack. Another soldier behind him shouted for him to move, but instead of obeying, the man took a hesitant step backward.

"He's different," the soldier whispered.

Viktor heard him clearly and turned toward him. "What did you say?" he asked, his voice calm despite the tension filling the room. The soldier stared at Viktor's eyes, and whatever courage he had left seemed to disappear from his face.

"You're not supposed to have that power."

Viktor's expression changed immediately. He walked toward the soldier, ignoring the others around him as his attention remained fixed on the man. "What power are you talking about?" he asked, but the soldier only continued backing away.

"The Guardian's power."

The words silenced everyone.

Ellie looked at Joyce, and Joyce immediately looked toward Viktor. Elara's expression also changed as she watched him, but Viktor barely noticed any of them because his mind had become fixed on the soldier's words.

"Who told you about the Guardian?" Viktor asked.

The soldier remained silent, and Viktor moved closer until there was barely any distance between them. "I asked you a question," he said, his voice becoming firmer, but the soldier suddenly raised his weapon and lunged at him.

Viktor moved before the soldier could even reach him. One moment he was standing in front of the man, and the next he was behind him with his hand wrapped around the back of his neck. The soldier froze as Viktor lifted him slightly from the floor, his legs kicking helplessly while Viktor stared at him with an expression the man could not understand.

"You're going to answer me."

"Viktor!" Elara called.

Viktor turned his head toward her without releasing the soldier. Elara had already stepped closer, her eyes fixed on his hand around the man's neck.

"Put him down."

"He knows something."

"I know," Elara replied, keeping her voice calm. "But killing him won't make him talk."

Viktor looked back at the soldier, and for a moment, something inside him urged him to squeeze harder. He could feel the man's fear, hear his frantic heartbeat, and sense how easily he could end his life if he wanted to. That realization frightened Viktor more than the soldier himself.

He slowly released him.

The man dropped to his knees, coughing violently as he held his throat. Elara walked toward Viktor, but before she could say anything, another group of soldiers rushed into the building with their weapons raised.

"Don't let them escape!"

Viktor turned toward them.

This time, he didn't wait for them to attack.

He raised his hand, and every soldier suddenly stopped where they stood. Their weapons slipped from their fingers one after another, hitting the floor as their bodies became completely still.

Ellie stared at them in disbelief. "Viktor, what did you just do?"

Viktor looked at his own hand, equally confused. "I don't know."

The soldiers began trembling, but none of them could move. Viktor could feel something connecting him to them, something that allowed him to sense their bodies and control their movements without touching them. He slowly lowered his hand, and the soldiers immediately collapsed onto the floor.

Joyce stared at Viktor. "That was Maui's power."

Viktor didn't respond because he was beginning to understand that the power inside him was much greater than he had imagined. It wasn't just strength or speed, and it wasn't limited to the abilities he had already seen. Something had changed within him completely, and he didn't yet know where its limits were.

The soldier Viktor had questioned suddenly looked up from the floor. His face was pale, and fear filled his eyes as he stared at Viktor. "You really don't know what you've received," he said.

Viktor crouched in front of him. "Then tell me."

The soldier shook his head. "If Caius finds out you've awakened completely, he'll come for you himself."

Viktor's jaw tightened. "He already wants me dead."

"No." The soldier swallowed hard. "You don't understand. He isn't afraid that you're alive. He's afraid of what you'll become."

Before Viktor could ask anything else, the soldier suddenly clenched his jaw.

Elara noticed first. "Viktor, stop him!"

Viktor reached for him, but it was already too late. The man's body went limp, and when Ellie checked him moments later, she slowly shook her head.

"He's dead."

Viktor stared at the man's body, anger rising inside him. He had been so close to finding an answer, yet once again, Caius had taken it away from him.

Elara walked toward him and gently touched his arm. "We need to leave."

Viktor looked at her, and she could see the uncertainty in his expression. He still looked different, his eyes still red and his fangs still visible, but beneath all of it was the same Viktor she knew.

"You are still you," she said softly.

Viktor looked at her for a moment before nodding. "I know."

Another loud sound came from outside, followed by several voices shouting orders. Ellie immediately picked up her weapon while Joyce moved closer to the wall, and Viktor closed his eyes as he listened to the footsteps surrounding the building.

"There are more coming," he said.

"How many?" Ellie asked.

"Too many."

Elara looked toward the back of the building. "Then we leave through there."

Viktor nodded, but as they moved, something strange happened. He suddenly stopped and looked toward a narrow passage hidden behind a broken wall.

"There."

Ellie frowned. "There what?"

"An exit."

Joyce looked at the wall. "How do you know?"

Viktor stared at it for a moment before answering. "I don't know."

He touched his palm. "Maui does."

They hurried through the passage just as soldiers stormed through the front entrance. Viktor led them through the narrow path without hesitation, turning at every corner as though he had walked through it before, even though he knew he had never seen the place in his life.

When they finally emerged several streets away, everyone stopped to catch their breath. Viktor stood quietly, staring at the glowing mark on his palm while the others watched him, none of them quite sure what they were witnessing.

Elara walked toward him. "What are you thinking?"

Viktor closed his hand over the mark.

"Maui is gone," he said quietly. "But I don't think everything he was is gone with him."

He looked toward the direction of the kingdom.

"And Caius knows it."